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From: Tony Galli
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: THE GOSPEL MESSAGE (Great Commission Added)

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE:

1. Have faith in Jesus the Messiah (Christ)

2. Obey the commandments of God


CONTENTS:

1) JESUS THE PROMISED MESSIAH OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

2) JESUS TAUGHT OBEDIENCE TO ALL OF GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

3) ST. PAUL ALSO TAUGHT OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDMENTS

4) JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE, OUR ONLY HOPE OF SALVATION

5) CONCLUSION: WHO ARE GOD'S PEOPLE?


THE GREAT COMMISSION OF JESUS - Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:47-49 Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given complete authority in Heaven and on earth. Therefore, with My authority, go throughout the entire world and teach this Good News message of repentance to everyone of all nations, beginning in Jerusalem. Teach everyone to obey all the commandments I have given you. Anyone who believes in Me, and turns to Me, their sins will be forgiven and they will be saved. I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised, and you will be filled with power from Heaven. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of this present age".

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE: 1. have faith in Jesus the Messiah (Christ) 2. obey the commandments of God

Rev 14:12 Let this encourage the saints (the virgin woman/bride of the Messiah/God's holy people/the elect of God/Israel/ Christians) to endure persecution patiently and remain firm to the end 1) OBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD, and 2) HAVING FAITH IN JESUS.

Rev12:17 Then the dragon (satan) became angry at the virgin woman (the saints/bride of the Messiah/God's holy people/the elect of God/Israel/Christians) and he declared war against the rest of her children - all who 1) OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD and 2) CONFESS THEIR FAITH IN JESUS.

The New Testament is not silent about obeying God's commandments. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus repeatedly expressed His desire to "DO not My own will but My Father's Will be done". The apostles also reaffirmed that we must "walk in obedience" to God's commandments (1 John 2:4, 3:22, 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6; Acts 1:2; 1 Cor 7:19; 1 Thess 4:2; Rev 22:14).

We find in the New Testament that God's greatest desire (or will) is that "we BELIEVE in His only begotten Son Jesus and fully OBEY Him." So, recognizing that Jesus is truly the Savior of the world, the true Messiah, the King of kings, etc. who "shall rule the earth forever", is the most important commandment. Without satisfying this one commandment, everything else in the Bible, has no meaning or value, and, in fact, a person cannot enter into ETERNAL LIFE without first believing in the risen Messiah Jesus.

The New Testament plainly states that a person is condemned without A TRUE FAITH IN JESUS the Messiah (John 3:18). Alternatively, if a person TRULY BELIEVES IN JESUS, then he will be saved (John 3:16). This is part 1 of the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus the Messiah.

Once a person believes in Jesus and is baptized, that person receives the promise of God, the gift of the Holy Spirit. The new believer has been "born again" or "born from above" or "born of the Spirit". The ultimate "born-again" experience will be on Resurrection Day, or the Last Day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24; 12:48), when Jesus returns to resurrect the dead and the living believers.

Part 2 of the Gospel begins when the new-born child of God begins WALKING IN OBEDIENCE to the Lord Jesus. This walk is not burdensome (1 John 5:3) to the believer because the Spirit of God dwelling in us (our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit - John 2:21;1 Cor 3:16;6:19) instructs us that God's ways (commandments) are always beneficial to us.

Let us encourage one another daily to 1) remain strong in the faith of Jesus and 2) obey all of His commandments, for this is God's Will for us and our purpose in this present life. Any deviation from these 2 basic principles will ultimately lead to ruin.

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The following Scriptures are presented as confirmation of the above article and may serve as a useful reference for daily reading or for witnessing purposes:

I Jn 3:23-24 And this is His COMMANDMENT: We must BELIEVE IN THE NAME of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, and love one another, just as He commanded us. THOSE WHO OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS live in fellowship with Him, and He with them. And we know that He lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

1) JESUS THE PROMISED MESSIAH OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Deut 18:18 I will raise up a Prophet (the Messiah) like you (Moses) from among your fellow Israelites. I will tell that Prophet (the Messiah) what to say, and He will tell the people everything that I command Him. I WILL PERSONALLY DEAL WITH ANYONE WHO WILL NOT LISTEN to the messages the Prophet (the Messiah) proclaims on My behalf.

John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth THAT PROPHET (Deut 18:15,18-19) that should come into the world!

John 5:46-47 For If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe My words?"

John 7:16-17 Jesus answered, "My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone chooses to do God's Will, he will be able to discern whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own.

Matt 21:10-11 And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus THE PROPHET of Nazareth of Galilee.

Mark 6:15 Others said that He is Elijah. And others said that He is THE PROPHET, or as one of the prophets.

John 7:40-43 Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is THE PROPHET. Others said, This is the Messiah. But some said, Shall the Messiah come out of Galilee? Does not the Scripture say, That the Messiah comes from the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of Him.

Mark 8:29-30 And Jesus asked them, But Whom do you say that I am? And Peter answered and said unto Him, You are the Messiah. And He charged them that they should tell no man of Him.

Luke 22:70-71 Then said they all, Are you then the Son of God? And He said unto them, It is as you have said. And they said, What need we of any further witnesses? for we ourselves have heard from His own mouth.

2) JESUS TAUGHT OBEDIENCE TO ALL OF GOD'S COMMANDMENTS

Matt 4:3-4 And when the tempter (devil) came to Him, he said, If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made into bread. But He answered and said, It is written, (Deut 8:3) "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceeds out of THE MOUTH OF GOD".

Matt 4:10 Then Jesus said to the devil, Get away, satan: for it is written, (Deut 6:13) "You shall WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, and HIM ONLY SHALL YOU SERVE".

Matt 19:16-17 Good Teacher, WHAT GOOD THINGS MUST I DO to have eternal life? Why ask Me about what is good? Jesus replied. Only God is good. But to answer your question, you can receive eternal life if you KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.

Matt 22:36-37 Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law of Moses? Jesus replied, (Deut 6:5) You must LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

John 14:15 If you truly LOVE Me, OBEY MY COMMANDMENTS.

John 14:21 Those who OBEY My COMMANDMENTS are the ones who LOVE Me. And because they LOVE Me, My Father will LOVE them, and I will LOVE them.

John 15:10 When you OBEY me, you remain in My LOVE, just as I OBEY My Father and remain in His LOVE.

Matt 5:19 So if you break the smallest COMMANDMENT and teach others to do the same, you will be least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who OBEYS GOD'S LAWS and teaches them will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 1:6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were both righteous in God's eyes, WALKING IN ALL THE COMMANDMENTS and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Matt 7:21-23 Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as 'Lord', but they still WILL NOT ENTER the Kingdom of God. The decisive issue is whether or not they have OBEYED MY FATHER IN HEAVEN. On judgement day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in Your Name and cast out demons in Your Name and performed many miracles in Your Name.' But I will reply to them, 'I never knew you. Go away; THE THINGS YOU DID WERE UNLAWFUL (BROKE THE COMMANDMENTS).'

Hebrews 8:10 (Jer 31:31-34) This is the NEW COVENANT I will make with the people of Israel (the saints/the virgin woman/bride of the Messiah/God's holy people/the elect of God/Christians) on that day, says the Lord: I will place MY LAWS (COMMANDMENTS) IN THEIR MINDS so they will understand them, and I will write MY LAWS (COMMANDMENTS) ON THEIR HEARTS so they will OBEY THEM. I will be their God and they will be My people (Israel/the saints/the virgin woman/bride of the Messiah/God's holy people/the elect of God/Christians).

3) ST. PAUL ALSO TAUGHT OBEDIENCE TO THE COMMANDMENTS

Many have misinterpreted Paul's oftentimes "hard to understand" writings to conclude that we no longer have to keep the commandments. This false conclusion contradicts the plain teachings of Jesus, the apostles and the prophets. It can be shown that Paul himself taught obedience to God's commandments. We must pay attention to Peter's warning about misinterpreting Paul's writings:

2 Peter 3:15 And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him - speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are HARD TO UNDERSTAND, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters around to mean something quite different from what he meant, just as they do the other parts of Scripture - and the result is disaster for them.

Acts 21:21-24 Our Jewish Christians here at Jerusalem have been told that you (Paul) are teaching all the Jews living in the Gentile world to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They say that you teach people not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs...the rumors are false and you (Paul) also walk orderly, and keep the Law (Torah).

Acts 24:14-16 I (Paul) confess to you that I follow "The Way", which they call a heretical sect. I worship the God of our ancestors believing all things which are written in the Law (Torah) and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, just as these men do, that He will raise both the righteous and the ungodly from the dead. Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and toward men.

Acts 28:23 Paul taught them about the Kingdom of God and taught them about Jesus from the Scriptures - from the five books of Moses (Torah) and the books of the Prophets.

Rom 2:11-13 God does not show favoritism. God will punish the Gentiles when they sin, even though they never had God's written Law (Torah). And He will punish the Israelites when they sin, for they do have the Law (Torah). For it is not merely knowing the Law (Torah) that brings God's approval. THOSE WHO OBEY THE LAW (TORAH) will be declared right in God's sight.

Rom 2:29 A true Israelite is one whose HEART is right with God. And true circumcision is not a cutting of the body but A CHANGE OF HEART produced by God's Spirit. Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God, not from people.

1 Cor 7:19 For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENTS.

4) JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE, OUR ONLY HOPE OF SALVATION:

Matt 7:13-14 Enter in through the Narrow Gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to DESTRUCTION, and MANY there are who enter through it: Because Strait is the Gate, and Narrow is the Way, that leads to LIFE, and FEW there are who find it.

John 14:6 I AM the WAY, and the TRUTH, and the LIFE; NO ONE comes to the Father, if not through Me.

John 11:25 I AM the RESURRECTION and the LIFE: whoever Believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he Live again.

John 3:16-18 For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son, so that EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM will not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. There is no judgement awaiting THOSE WHO TRUST HIM. But THOSE WHO DO NOT TRUST HIM have already been CONDEMNED FOR NOT BELIEVING in the Only Son of God.

Acts 2:37-40 What shall we do? Peter replied to them: Each of you must TURN FROM YOUR SINS and TURN TO GOD, and BE BAPTIZED in the Name of Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. This PROMISE is to you and your children, and even to the Gentiles - all who have been called by the Lord our God...save yourselves from this evil generation that has gone astray.

Acts 4:12 There is salvation in no one else! For there is no other Name in all of Heaven for people to call on to save them.

Phil 2:7-11 Jesus laid aside His mighty power and glory (in Heaven), and took upon Himself the position of a Servant, and was born in the likeness of men. And in the form of a man, He obediently humbled Himself, even further by His sacrificial death on the cross. Because of this, God has exalted Him to the heights of Heaven, and has given Him a Name that is above every other Name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Rev 22:14 Blessed are those who WASH THEIR CLOTHES (Ex 19:10,14) so they can enter through the gates of the Holy City (New Jerusalem) and eat the fruit from the Tree of (Eternal) Life (Gen 3:22).

1 Cor 15:20-23 But THE FACT is that the Messiah Jesus has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, the Messiah Jesus. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to the Messiah Jesus, the other man, will be given new Life. But there is an order to this resurrection: the Messiah Jesus was raised first; then when He comes back, all His people will be raised.

1 Peter 3-8 All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, for it is by His boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus the Messiah rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for His children. It is kept in Heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in His mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting Him. It will be revealed on the Last Day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus the Messiah is revealed to the whole world. You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him, you trust Him, and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. Your reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.

CONCLUSION: WHO ARE GOD'S PEOPLE?

Rom 9:1-8 In the presence of the Messiah, I (Paul) speak with utter truthfulness - I do not lie - and my conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm that what I am saying is true. God revealed His glory to the Israelites, my kinsmen. He made covenants with them and gave his Law (Torah) to them. Their ancestors were great people of God, and the Messiah Himself was a Jew as far as His human nature is concerned. Not everyone born into an Israelite family is a true Israelite! Just the fact that they are descendants of Abraham doesn't make them Abraham's children. For the Scriptures say (Gen 21:12) Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted, though Abraham had other children, too. This means that Abraham's physical descendants are not necessarily the children of God. It is the CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE (Luke 24:49;Acts 1:4 Acts 2:39, 13:23, 26:6; Gal 3:14, 22, 29, 4:28; Eph 1:13, 2:12, 3:6; 2 Tim 1:1; Heb 9:15, 10:36; 2 Pet 3:9, 13; 1 John 2:25) who are considered to be Abraham's (true) children.

We must now plainly answer the all-important question: In the end, after careful examination of all of the Scriptures, who must we admit are God's truly chosen people, who He calls "My people Israel/the saints/the virgin woman/bride of the Messiah/God's holy people/the elect of God/ Christians)?

"God's people" are described (by God) as those, OF ANY RACE, who believe in the promise(s) God gave to Abraham, Isaac and to Jacob (Israel) (Genesis 13, 15, 17, 22) resulting in 1) FAITH in His only begotten Son JESUS, the Son of David, the Messiah, our Lord and Savior and 2) complete repentance and OBEDIENCE to His COMMANDMENTS. Any definition (or theology or doctrine or religion) outside of this Biblical one, is a fallacy. May we all be ready when His kingdom comes, and be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb!

Rev 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him: for the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest linen, clean and white (for the fine linen represents the righteousness of the people of God.) And the angel said, Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he added: THESE ARE TRUE WORDS THAT COME FROM GOD.

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